Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Dec;17(1):2552344.
doi: 10.1080/19490976.2025.2552344. Epub 2025 Sep 1.

Membrane vesicles produced by next-generation probiotics from the gut as innovative tools for human health

Laura Abraham, Audrey Raise, Laurent Beney  1 , Pierre Lapaquette  1 , Aurélie Rieu  1
Affiliations
Review

Membrane vesicles produced by next-generation probiotics from the gut as innovative tools for human health

Laura Abraham et al. Gut Microbes. 2025 Dec.

Abstract

Probiotics have long been recognized for their health-promoting properties, primarily through their interaction with the gut microbiota. In recent years, Next-Generation Probiotics (NGPs), including Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium duncaniae, have gained attention due to their potential therapeutic applications. Beyond live bacteria, the concept of postbiotics, defined as non-viable bacterial components with health benefits, has emerged, with membrane vesicles (MVs) representing a promising new class. These nanosized extracellular structures, secreted by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, are rich in bioactive molecules such as peptides, lipids, metabolites, and nucleic acids. Membrane vesicles have been shown to mediate intercellular communication, modulate immune responses, and influence gut barrier integrity. Their role in microbiota-host interactions makes them attractive candidates for novel therapeutic strategies, particularly in metabolic and inflammatory diseases. This review explores the current state of knowledge on MVs from NGPs, their functional properties, and their impact on health while also discussing future research directions and large-scale production challenges.

Keywords: Akkermansia muciniphila; Extracellular vesicles; Faecalibacterium duncaniae; Next-Generation Probiotics; live biotherapeutics; postbiotics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Overview of conventional probiotics and next-generation probiotics along with their derived postbiotics.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Various environmental stresses induce the formation of bacterial membrane vesicles (MVs). The biogenesis of MVs follows different pathways specific to gram-negative (explosive cell lysis and blebbing) and gram-positive bacteria (blebbing and bubbling cell death). Abbreviations: EOMV, explosive outer membrane vesicles; EOIMV, explosive outer-inner membrane vesicles; OIMV, outer-inner membrane vesicles; OMV, outer membrane vesicles; CMV, cytoplasmic membrane vesicles; ECMV, explosive cytoplasmic membrane vesicles.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Human health applications of membrane vesicles from next-generation probiotics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization (eds) . Probiotics in food: health and nutritional properties and guidelines for evaluation. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: World Health Organization (FAO food and nutrition paper. 2006: 85).
    1. Kil BJ, Pyung YJ, Park H, Kang J-W, Yun C-H, Huh CS.. Probiotic potential of Saccharomyces cerevisiae GILA with alleviating intestinal inflammation in a dextran sulfate sodium induced colitis mouse model. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):6687. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-33958-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ritchie ML, Romanuk TN, Heimesaat MM. A meta-analysis of probiotic efficacy for gastrointestinal diseases. PLOS ONE. 2012;7(4):e34938. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034938. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Agamennone V, Krul CAM, Rijkers G, Kort R. A practical guide for probiotics applied to the case of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in the Netherlands. BMC Gastroenterol. 2018;18(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s12876-018-0831-x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sharma S, Kumar S, Sajjad S, Sharma S. Probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome: a review article. Cureus. 2023;15(3):e36565. doi: 10.7759/cureus.36565. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Supplementary concepts

LinkOut - more resources